Bajaj launched a few days back what it calls a Street version of the Pulsar 220. But what it actually is can be explained in more than one way. It can be called a faring removal job on the P220 or a P200 with a 220cc engine or a P220 with the standard Pulsar doom. The 220 S costs about 3 grand less than the normal P220 at an on-road price of Rs. 78,000. Frankly I don’t see any takers for this one, may be if they had fiddled with the doom a little.
As we know Bajaj launched the Pulsar 135 in Delhi yesterday and here are our thoughts on that. While that was an event of itself Rajiv Bajaj revealed quite a handful of Bajaj’s future plans which made the event worth the while for reporters. Here are Bajaj’s future plans
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The pre-launch pictures of the 135 spurred up the expectation and from the looks of it Bajaj has lived up to it. The 135 pulsar the smallest of them all is priced at a very sensible 51k ex-showroom Delhi which on-road would cost around 58k. Though it is the smallest it is quite interesting as it has some first of its kind features.
It has the first of its kind engine with 4 valves and 2 spark-plugs; Bajaj calls it the world’s first 4-valved DTS-i engine, this reflects very well on the power produced. This 135cc produces 13.5ps of power which is pretty close to the pulsar 150’s power-rating of 14.08ps. Also it is more powerful than the Honda stunner which has a bhp rating of 11.6 which comes to about 11.76ps of power. So 135 is a clear winner in the power fight.
The other first of its kind is the digital tachometer with analogue display as in digital needle circling digital numbers. It has a couple of feature even the 150 doesn’t have, split seats and clip on handle bars. The downside is the smaller non-pulsar tank which has a capacity of 8+2.5 litres which is 5 less than the 150 pulsar. The 135 has all the other mandatory features like electric/kick start, alloy wheels, led brake lights, rear gas shocks and front disc brake.
The overall design of the bike is bold (as it is heavily borrowed from the concept Xcd 135 sprint) with an out of the box front faring design which Bajaj calls bikini headlight faring and an unconventional rear mud guard and tail fixed number plate. The plot behind the rear design to my knowledge is that you can still remove the mud guard for the sportier tire-thread showing looks and still have your number plate intact. Seems Bajaj has covered all grounds with this one. Oh ya one more thing the mileage is 65kmpl on standard Arai test.
So the Pulsar 135 may not be a pulsar but it sure is much more.
Click here for more technical details.
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The thought of a next pulsar is good enough to create a delight in the Indian biking scene but sadly it isn’t going up from 220 but down from 150. I am not sure if the 135 would have the pulsar pedigree because Bajaj haven’t been able to make a proper bike below the 150cc cut off (riding the discover gives me a feeling of sitting on a log, the XCD throws at me a overwhelming feel of plastics) but from the looks of it they certainly have tried.
The 135 Pulsar will definitely be a badass is what the impression I get from the pictures, it does seems to stand out from the Bajaj cheepos. The head light for instance is one of the most insane designs I have seen after the original Fazer’s Martian eyes. It has the shape of the Transformers Auto bots logo with diamonds filled in. the wind shield on top of that complements perfectly the headlight cluster.
They tried passing on this aggressive design cue to the rear and have failed. To make the rear sportier Pulsar 135 started off with losing its conventional rear mudguard (which begs in for a tail mounted number plate) which would make the tire and its threads more visible and give the rear the needed aggressive attire but Bajaj went with the mudguard which clinches on close with the tire and ruins the illusion.
Tank which is the only thing every Pulsar has in common is thrown out for good and replace with a smaller, plain and rightly proportioned tank. The air scoops on either sides of it go well with the wild look which is also complemented by the middle gray plastic clip on. The seats are split in the interest of making it stand up from the XCD 135 and so are the split grab rails and split handle bar. The exhaust looks new and points down towards the tip which might make an interesting sound. Speaking of sound the Pulsar 135 is making, Bajaj has launched a teaser website with a teaser trailer.
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After a million meetings between the partners, the duo/trio has come to a decision on the Ultra-Low Cost car (ULC) which was showcased a year back. Renault/Nissan’s boss Carlos Ghosn said to the press that they have come to a decision on the project after talks with Bajaj but a formal written agreement has not been signed yet.
From what Ghosn said, it looks like Bajaj who is the brains behind the cheap sourcing of raw material and cost effective design of the car won’t be getting its badge on the car. According to the deal struck Renault/Nissan would take care of branding, marketing and sales. Rajiv Bajaj was not present during the Ghosn speech and was out of contact to get a quick comment.
Click through for Carlos Ghosn’s punch lines from the Press meet.
Rajiv Bajaj launched the Ninja 250R in Pune’s Pro-biking showroom today (7th Oct) as informed earlier. The info from the launch was tad disappointing as the price is a bit off and the only color options are green and black, no blue or red.
But First things first, the price which is Rs. 2,69,700 in Delhi and Rs. 2,69,580 in Chennai both ex-showroom prices. This is a bit off from what was expected but think about it, it’s the only bike in India which will take you to a top speed of 185 kmph for less than 10Lakh.
Other big news from the launch are:
• KTM bikes (of which Bajaj owns stakes) will be launched by Bajaj in 3 months.
• New Pulsar models in 2011
• Higher end Kawasaki Ninjas to be launched.
The bike as it reads has a 250cc engine but it is parallel twin cylindered with dual over head cam (DOHC). Max. Power output is 32bhp at a whopping 11,000 rpm. Engine is liquid cooled and fuel injection type. It comes with a 6-speed gearbox.
Ninja gets a bigger tank with a capacity of 17litres, hope that will be enough to compensate with its mileage. It gets both front and rear discs as one would expect. Both the tires are tubeless with a dimension of 110/70 for the front and 130/70 for the rear.
The bike is being brought into the country as a completely knocked down (CKD) product and so carries a minimal 11% tax. With a simple calculation knowing the US price of the bike which is roughly under 4k and the tax it looks like Bajaj is making 50k out of one Ninja. Initial consignment just includes 50 Ninjas so book yours for booking fees of Rs. 40,000 at any one of the 22 pro-biking showrooms spread out all over India.
Pictures from the Launch:
